Enshrinement as a God

Northwest of Chengdu, Sichuan Province. On Mount Qingcheng, southwest of Guanxian, stood a traditional righteous sect representing Sichuan.

The Qingcheng Sect.

In the Sanqing Hall of the Qingcheng Sect, located in the middle of Mount Qingcheng, the representative masters of the Qingcheng Sect, as well as the elders representing the righteous sects of Sichuan, were gathered.

Sheng Houhu, the Tiger-Subduing Sword of the Emei Sect.

Jiang Huanchao, the Sea Map Divine Martial of the Baidao Wumen.

Yue Shengwu, the Sword Mountain Step Rhyme of the Jinchuan Sword Sect.

These representatives of the four great sects of Sichuan, including Xi Xichang of the Qingcheng Sect, were repeatedly engaged in a heated meeting inside the Sanqing Hall.

And the numerous martial artists guarding the Sanqing Hall without a single gap were looking around in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances.

"Yaaawn."

"Hey, your mouth is going to tear."

The two martial artists, who were patrolling in a pair, chuckled and walked around the Sanqing Hall along the designated path.

"When do you think the meeting will end?"

"Well... it's already been two days, so some conclusion must have been reached, right?"

"I don't even know what it's about... It seems to be a pretty important story."

"Well, isn't it obvious? There's a rumor that the Black Qilin has reappeared in the Black Contemplation Fortress recently, so it must be because of that that the alarm has been raised."

"No way... Do you think the Black Contemplation Fortress will start a war again?"

A hint of fear was in the man's voice.

In the past, when the Black Contemplation Fortress Lord, Jeul, had turned the Sichuan martial world into a sea of blood and had established the Black Contemplation Fortress, their masters, senior uncles, and senior brothers had lost their lives in countless numbers.

The Black Contemplation Fortress was no different from a hideous bloody fortress built with the blood and flesh of the righteous sects of Sichuan.

"Tsk, tsk, how can you call yourselves martial artists of the righteous path with so much fear."

"Wh-who are you!"

The men, who had been revealing their worries to each other in silence, were startled by the voice that suddenly came from behind and put their hands on the swords at their waists.

But they could not draw their swords and take a defensive posture.

This was because the swords were stuck in their scabbards as if they were glued.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

"What on earth is this...?!"

The person who had appeared behind the flustered men was a Taoist who looked to be around thirty, gently stroking his fine beard.

"Who are you, sir?"

"A coward who is also rude!"

The man who had asked for the opponent's identity received a shock as if a lightning bolt had struck before his eyes and fell down on the spot.

The man, who saw his colleague who had fainted, foaming at the mouth, was startled and hurriedly raised his voice to ask for help.

"It's a surprise attack!"

The martial artists, who had not thought that enemies would launch a surprise attack in the Sanqing Hall, the deepest part of the Qingcheng Sect, hurriedly began to flock towards the place where the voice was heard, like a swarm of ants.

"What is all this commotion!"

The first to appear was Liu Yezhi of the Qingcheng Sect, who was in charge of security.

Liu Yezhi found the fallen man and the unknown Taoist and guessed that he was a person from another sect who had followed this meeting.

"Who are you, Taoist, to have committed such an act!"

"I disciplined a rude junior once, and you rush at me as if you're going to eat me."

Liu Yezhi, at his confident attitude, felt that he was not an ordinary master despite his young-looking age.

Moreover, strangely, the Taoist in front of him looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

"Guide me to the sect leader here. He is probably waiting for this immortal with his eyes falling out."

Liu Yezhi was able to guess his identity from his appearance of looking for the sect leader and his arrogant appearance of daring to call himself an immortal.

The state of returning to the origin and returning to youth, which is said to appear when one reaches the pinnacle of martial arts.

"You are...!"

* * *

The meeting in progress inside the Sanqing Hall was attended by the representatives of each sect of Sichuan, as well as the renowned masters of the martial world who were prestigious enough to participate in the meeting.

But they all maintained a heavy atmosphere with stiff expressions in the arena.

Although the debate that had continued for nearly two days had exhausted their minds and bodies, the biggest reason was that they had not yet reached a conclusion.

"Since the Black Qilin has returned to the Black Contemplation Fortress, the provocation of the Black Contemplation Fortress is only a matter of time."

"Impossible. Even if it is as Sect Leader Xi says, we cannot be the ones to give them a pretext first, can we?"

Sheng Houhu was a rare male disciple of the Emei Sect, where female nuns were originally the majority.

Moreover, as a lay disciple, he was a legendary figure who had carried on the progress of the Thoughtless Sword Style of the Four-Star Dharma Master, who had established the Tiger-Subduing Temple, the root of the Emei Sect.

"But if we just sit back and do nothing, we might become the food of the Black Contemplation Fortress in one go."

Jiang Huanchao said with a sharp voice. Since the Baidao Wumen was geographically closest to the Black Contemplation Fortress, they had no choice but to react more sensitively than anyone else to the rise of the Black Contemplation Fortress.

"Is there still no news from the Tang Clan Head?"

Yue Shengwu of the Jinchuan Sword Sect, who was the most neutral among them, looked for the still-not-arrived Tang Clan Head, Tang Yizheng.

"They say the Tang Clan has been busy lately, so something must have happened."

"Hmph! It's unknown whether something happened or whether he didn't want to waste his time on a useless meeting."

"Tiger-Subduing Sword!"

Although Xi Xichang raised her voice, Sheng Houhu was still half-listening to Xi Xichang's words, pretending to have heard but not heard.

As long as the Emei Sect's leader, the Golden Summit Abbess, had delegated full authority to him, his decision was also the decision of the Emei Sect.

Just by the fact that the young Xi Xichang was acting as the sect leader of the Qingcheng Sect, he was inwardly not seeing Xi Xichang as an equal opponent.

"Let's say, for the sake of argument, that we form the Sichuan Alliance in preparation for the Black Contemplation Fortress. What will we say to the Martial Arts Alliance located in Henan, and who will take on the role of the leader of the Sichuan Alliance and manage that large household?"

Xi Xichang, who had returned from the Hermit's Valley, had immediately sent out invitations to the sects of Sichuan and had arranged a meeting.

The news that the Black Qilin, Wenzhong, had broken his seclusion and had appeared in the Black Contemplation Fortress was already making the Sichuan martial world buzz.

The meeting was held in a flash.

But just because the meeting was held in a flash did not mean that the great sects, who each had different thoughts, had achieved harmony.

Xi Xichang clenched her collar tightly and endured and endured.

Although she was here representing the Qingcheng Sect, she was just an inexperienced brat compared to them.

Since the prestige of the Qingcheng Sect was not what it used to be, she lacked the power to lead the meeting.

Each sect was afraid of the Black Contemplation Fortress, and yet they were also looking down on them.

They were trying hard to deny the reality that would soon come.

Moreover, Sheng Houhu of the Emei Sect was showing off his presence even though he was attending this meeting as a representative of the Emei Sect's leader.

Although he was actively opposing the Sichuan Alliance on the surface, it was clear that he had other intentions.

Unconditional cooperation was the only way to protect the Sichuan martial world from the black hands of the Black Contemplation Fortress.

It was truly a situation in the dark where one could not see an inch ahead.

But Xi Xichang had one hope.

The reward for the journey she had taken, risking danger. It would be given to her soon.

"For now, the relationship with the Martial Arts Alliance and the resources to enter the Sichuan Alliance are things to think about later. If the Black Contemplation Fortress attacks us with all its might, who can withstand it?"

"Are you not confident, Sect Leader Jiang?"

"Sheng Houhu! Although you are attending this meeting as a representative of the Golden Summit Abbess, you should be careful with your words."

At Jiang Huanchao's reaction, Sheng Houhu frowned and clenched his fist.

"Although there are masters like stars in each sect, who will step forward to subdue the Black Contemplation Fortress Lord and the Black Qilin? Isn't it a priority for us to form the Sichuan Alliance first so that the Black Contemplation Fortress cannot rashly have any strange thoughts?"

There was also a point in Jiang Huanchao's words.

Although they had never directly faced the superhumans called the Twelve Honored Ones, they could guess that their martial arts level was to the extent of shaking the heavens and the earth.

Even Sheng Houhu, who had the highest fighting spirit and outstanding martial arts, could not say anything back to this.

In fact, although Sheng Houhu was opposing the launch of the Sichuan Alliance on the surface, he had a completely different thought in his mind.

Although he had learned his martial arts by succeeding the mantle of the Four-Star Dharma Master through a fateful encounter, he was a lay disciple, not a monk of the Emei Sect.

Moreover, in the Emei Sect, where nuns were the main pillar, it was difficult for him to realize his ambition in the end.

His secret relationship with the Golden Summit Abbess also became a burden to him as time went by.

In the end, he had no choice but to leave the Emei Sect and establish a new base in a new place.

This was an opportunity for him.

The Tang Clan was not interested in the Sichuan Alliance in the first place, and Jiang Huanchao and Yue Shengwu were small-minded people who only worried about their own sects.

Xi Xichang was a young girl, so she could not be his opponent.

Among the righteous martial artists of Sichuan, it was hard to find an opponent who could compete with him in terms of martial arts, and if he were to argue about his seniority, he had the seniority of a senior uncle to the current sect leaders, having inherited the will of the Four-Star Dharma Master. There was no law that he could not take on the role of the leader.

If the Sichuan Alliance were to be formed, in the end, the leader who would be its focal point would be no different from ruling the Sichuan martial world.

In order to be recommended as the leader of such a Sichuan Alliance, it was very important to not be looked down upon and to show his presence at today's meeting.

In the end, since they each had different intentions, the conclusion was the same, but the process of getting there was very difficult.

As the voices rose again and the meaningless war of attrition continued, Xi Xichang once again held her forehead.

At that moment, the door of the Sanqing Hall opened, and Liu Yezhi hurriedly approached Xi Xichang and whispered something in her ear.

"Is it true?"

The surprised Xi Xichang asked Liu Yezhi back, and the other sect leaders, who saw her expression, stopped their respective arguments and turned their gazes to her.

"What's wrong?"

"It seems a way to resolve the current controversy has come."

"It has come?"

Seeing the sect leaders who were bewildered, not knowing the reason, Xi Xichang stood up from her seat with confidence.

"Let's go together."

Although they did not know the reason at all, the sect leaders in the arena followed Xi Xichang and left the Sanqing Hall.

Outside the Sanqing Hall, the sound of the martial artists who had moved together from each sect murmuring was heard.

They were surrounding a Taoist in an unfamiliar Taoist robe, and they could not even approach him carelessly and were just watching each other.

Before the sect leaders, who were flustered by the strange sight, could ask a question.

Xi Xichang ran towards the Taoist in front of her in one step and politely showed her respect.

"Welcome. I have been waiting."

They could not guess at all who the opponent was, to whom Xi Xichang, the proud acting sect leader of the Qingcheng Sect, was showing such respect, even though she was young.

"Hehe... yes, it seems you have prepared everything in advance."

"I have been eagerly waiting for you to come. Please come up to the seat of honor."

The other sect leaders, as the Taoist who looked to be only around thirty was guided to the seat of honor, did not know the reason and tried to question it.

"Ah..."

At that moment, Jiang Huanchao barely opened his mouth with a trembling voice.

Since he had once wielded great power in the Martial Arts Alliance, he had had the opportunity to see his face.

Chirrr!

In an instant, as the Taoist Lingbao's robe fluttered, a loud ringing sound that filled the arena arose.

The swords that were tied to the waists of the dozens of masters gathered in the arena were trembling on their own and making a sound.

"Sword Immortal..."

Although it was just one word buried in the ringing of the swords, its impact was enormous.

The Twelve Honored Ones of the World.

The superhuman called the immortal of the sword among the two demigods called the Two Immortals.

The Sword Immortal, Taoist Lingbao, had arrived at the Qingcheng Sect.

(End of Chapter)